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Sunday, May 6, 2012

Bris: Not Barbaric

Someone sent me a message on Facebook which said
something along the lines of "What kind of person harms the integrity of
the genitals? How do you live with yourself?" As I have mentioned here,
this is not the forum to respond to the anti-circumcision people. This is a pro-bris website. So I choose to ignore (as in, not respond) to comments like
this, because they serve no purpose. But in the event that an anti circumcision
person comes across this discussion, I will try to explain here what I believe
you (the anti-circumcision person) might not be able to understand.

Before I do, however, I want to bring an analogy, and let
us see if this makes any sense. There are numerous studies out there that
debate the efficacy of breast augmentation surgery (the outcomes are more
unanimously against - as in, because the procedure is unhealthy). I am not
talking about when a reduction is necessary for health reasons. I am talking
about when a woman takes her naturally grown (no matter the size) healthy
breasts and has an elective surgery in which silicone (or some other foreign
object) is placed inside the body. I understand that there may be an emotional
side to some of these decisions, where one's self image or femininity is
negatively affected. But it's not always the case. And, at least the way
society paints the picture, this is a common procedure that people do
electively. And while people may cry out saying "You shouldn't do this to
yourself!" the fact is that this doesn't stop the myriads of women who go
under the knife for a look that they think is more attractive [it probably
attracts more attention, but many will debate if it's actually more
attractive]. I recognize, of course, that this is a choice that
"adults" make about their own bodies – and this is very different
than a choice made by adults about someone else's body, particularly that of an
infant. I will address this below.

Suffice
it to say, easily 95% of the circumcised male population don't give any thought
to it, and most are glad it was taken care of when they were babies. Ask most
adults who opt to circumcise as adults (for whatever reason) and they will
usually tell you "I wish I had it done when I was a baby, so I wouldn't
know what it feels like and I wouldn't remember it."

Why
is it not barbaric and how can I live with myself?

The
objective medical community has the following perspectives on circumcision (some
contradict one another, because opinions vary)

Circumcision is unnecessary

Circumcision is
beneficial and brings down the percentage possibilities of developing
certain illnesses and diseases

It is a simple
"nothing" of a procedure

Because it heals so
quickly, it is really not a big deal.

It removes
sensitive nerve endings that might make intercourse a different experience
as an adult.

It doesn't change
the experience (of #5) all that much

Having a
circumcision (done properly) may or may not give the baby long term trauma.
Babies tend to get over it rather quickly and live normal lives with or
without having been circumcised.

This last note would indicate what everyone knows to be
true. A circumcision (done properly) does not alter one's life. The organ
functions the same – in some cases (ie phimosis, severe webbing, etc) it
functions better, and it can still do its jobs without incident. It can not
even be compared to barbaric acts such as whipping or punishing amputations. A
hand without a finger is not the same hand. A penis without a foreskin functions
in the same way as it did before the foreskin was removed.

On the subject of trauma, I honestly believe that anyone
who, as an adult, claims to "remember the trauma" of the experience
as an infant, is LYING – pure and simple. They have trauma as an adult, for
whatever psychological reason. But this has nothing to do with a memory of the
experience.

So, How can I live with myself after being the agent
behind foreskin removals?

Because I am a professional who is hired by parents to do
this. With the exception of people I know personally (and even then I don't
usually), I do not solicit clients. They find me. They call me because they are
looking for this service to be provided, and I provide the service. I do not
seek out babies to "mutilate."

Most people are happy and emotionally invested in the circumcision
taking place. This is what they want.

My mohel teacher was once asked to speak at a bris when I
was training. In his speech, he said, "What gives us the right to do this?
How do we know the baby agrees with what we're doing? When we ask him, he
cries. Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with it!" Rabbi Sasson
answered his own question saying, "When a father brings his own son to the
bris, he is demonstrating that he 'agrees' with what was done to him. That this
is what he has wanted all along for himself." The baby, after all, is his
own flesh and blood.

The mitzvah of bris is one Jews who observe Mitzvot (or
even just this mitzvah), have been doing for thousands of years with a pretty
good track record, and not much complaint until the advent of the original
Reform movement (though Reform has largely accepted bris – there is a very
large Reform Berit Milah Board), and the last couple of decades of
anti-circumcision (Israelis) and anti-establishment secular (very very
unaffiliated) Jews in different pockets around the world.

For every one anti-bris Jew, I am sure there are
thousands of Jews who are of the other opinion and find the practice to be a
very very very strong tradition, one that does not lend itself to much, if any,
dissatisfaction or disgust with it.

I have also found this to be the case with non-Jewish
people who circumcise for either religious or cultural reasons. They want it,
and have no second thoughts about it being "barbaric."

A number of years ago, I wrote a dvar Torah for Parshat
Lekh Lekha, which concluded with these two paragraphs:

Because we know in our
hearts that the circumcision is but a small sacrifice to make to get God to
live up to His end of the deal [see Genesis 17]. That a nation which has
experienced downs, such as the Jewish people have experienced, can continue to
experience ups – this is the hand of God as revealed as it can ever be. It is
what our lives are all about, it is what our experience on this earth is all
about.

We use Avraham’s model of
a struggle-filled life to arrive at the unstriking conclusion that the covenant
with God is what keeps us going. In the words of Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, in
his “Tribute to the Rebbetzin of Talne,” we live “to feel the presence of the
Almighty and the gentle pressure of His hand resting upon my frail shoulders.”
It is a struggle worth living when the Comforter is so great.

This is what drives me,
and why the role I play is an honored one in the Jewish community.

1 comment:

Apparently I've gone down this road before (it's hard to remember everything I've written about):See this:http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2011/01/emotions-vs-intellect-vs-gods-law-part.htmlAnd part II:http://www.mohelinsouthflorida.com/2011/01/emotions-vs-intellect-vs-gods-law-part_11.html

Welcome to Mohel in South Florida

I am a mohel here to serve you, ready to tailor the ceremony to your particular needs. I will treat you with the dignity you, new parents, deserve; you are bringing your son into the mark of the Covenant - obvious to some, but not an easy decision for all.